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Along came a spider …

The bite from an Australia’s funnel web spider can kill a human in 15 minutes, “but a harmless ingredient found in the venom can protect brain cells from being destroyed by a stroke, even when given hours after the event, scientists say, reports the Guardian, going on:

“Venom from three spiders was gathered for the study after scientists trapped and ‘milked exhaustively” three spiders on Orchid beach, about 400km north of Brisbane.

‘My’ stroke struck five years ago while I was under a surgeon’s knife. It completely buffaloed me, turning not only my life but also my wife’s and my daughter’s lives upside down with the aftermaths lingering on.

The story continues, “In studies on rats, it was found, “a single small dose of the spider venom molecule protected neurons from induced strokes.

“The compound works by blocking what are called ion channels in cells, specifically those that respond to the onset of acidic conditions in the brain.

“Reporting in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Glenn King at the University of Queensland’s centre for pain research, describes how administering Hi1a two hours after stroke reduced the extent of brain damage in rats by 80%.

“But the compound was still effective eight hours after stroke, reducing the amount of brain damage by about 65% when compared with untreated animals.”